Five things that Angie Motshekga said that parents need to note

The Minister of Education Angie Motshekga addressed the nation on Sunday, a day before children in grades 6 and 11 will be returning to school. She noted the progress the department has made since the reopening of schools and the plans going forward.

Only 4% of schools have experienced infections since reopening.

Since schools started to reopen on 1 and 8 June for grades 7 and 12 only 968 schools have experienced Covid-19 infections. This, according to the department, is not a concerning number. Research also shows that schools are not risks of infwctions amongst children and adults. This is why 96% of the schools remained open. Only 4% of these schools have had to close due to the virus.

Parents who are keeping their kids at home will be supported.

Parents are encouraged to apply for home learning and should not be doing this in schools. The department will continue to support learners from home using online mediums, radio, and television. “We have 127 sites that are zero-rated and have good curriculum content that can be assessed” Motshekga stated.

Only ECDs that are ready to welcome grade Rs should do so.

Motshekga acknowledges that some provinces are not yet prepared to welcome grade R learners as yet. Therefore, only those that are ready should reopen on 6 July.

Grade Rs and pre-grade R’s that have returned must remain in schools.

Schools that have already reopened for grade Rs can remain open, and parents can keep them in school.

Other grades will return as per the gazetted dates.

The department is still experiencing Covid-19 related constraints, and cannot receive all the other grades all at once. This means that grades 1,2,3 and 10 will await new dates to be released by the department. The gazette indicated that these grades will also reopen on 6 July, but this has since been adjusted.

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